Hydraulic flume for mining fine material.



P'ATEN'TED OCT. 4, 1904.

WILDE-RMAN.

G. W. HYD'RU'LIG PLUME FOR MINING FINE MATERIAL.

APPLICATION IILED PEB. 5, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

No. 771,792. l

UNITED STATES Patented October 4, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WASHINGTON WILDERMAN, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT ALEXANDER THIEBEAU, OF PORTLAND,

OREGON.

HYDRAULIC FLUNIE FOR MINING FINE MATERIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,792, dated October 4, 1904.

Application filed February 5, 1904. Serial No. 192,254. (No model.)

To all whom; zit may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE WASHINGTON VILDERMAN, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented a new and use ful Improvement in Hydraulic Flumes for Mining Fine Material, of which the following' is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings as a part IO thereof.

My invention relates to the art of recovering fine gold from iine sand or pulp by passing the samein a solution over amalgamatingplates.

I 5 My invention has for its object to facilitate the recovery of the line gold by an improved method and mechanical contrivances by which the pulp issuing from the hopperis mechanically divided into a plurality of thin parallel 2O streams of more or less equal volume and then passing the several streams Vsimultaneously between parallelly arranged amalgamatingplates placed equidistant apart and arranged in a tier,.so that the upper and lower surfaces of each stream of pulp and solution will bein continuous contact with the surfaces of the two plates between which it passes, both the top and bottom surfaces of each of said tier of plates being plated with an amalgamating- 3C lm.

The contrivances by which I accomplish my object are illustrated in the drawings.

In said drawings, Figure 1 shows a longitudinal trough or iume and the superimposed receiving-hopper of the same. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line c c, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows in perspective a screen removably placed in the bottom of the hopper. Fig. L is a detail in perspective of means for securing the amalgamating-plates against shifting out of place, and Fig. 5 shows a partial longitudinal section of the inlet or receiving end of the feeder and illustrates the means provided for preventing the clogging of the Spaces or channels between the .feeder-plates.l Referring now to the reference-letters, the trough or flume t may be made of any convenient material and size. It has mounted on its receiving end a hopper c, in the bottom of which is removably placed ascreen c. The function of the screen c is to sift or screen the material introduced into the hopper and also to distribute the same over the mouth of the feeder.

The feeder is a device inserted in the receiving end of the flume underneath the hopper and operates to divide the pulpand sand and solution as discharged through the screen of the hopper into a plurality of thin streams of about equal volume in order that said pulp O and solution be properly fed to the amalgamating-plates. In construction said feeder comprises a plurality of curved parallelly-arranged plates f f2, fastened crosswise between the two sides of the inlet end of the trough or flume.

Abutting the discharge ends of the 'feederplates is inserted a tier4 of amalgamatingplates L. These plates are supported on longitudinal ribs provided on both sides of the 7o trough, so that one or more of the said amalgamating-plates may be removed, cleaned, and re-dressed with an amalgamating-film as required. The distances between the amalgamating-plates correspond with those be- 75 tween the feeder-plates.

As observed from Fig. l, the amalgamatingplates are supported slightly below, and the receiving ends of the amalgamating-plates project slightly under, the discharge ends of 8O the feeder-plates. The object of this construction is to insure that the material will flow readily through the fiume. To prevent the clogging of the pulp and sand run through my flume, the spaces between the feederplates at the receiving end of the feeder are made slightly narrower, so that the material entering such contracted openings will be slightly of lesser volume than the spaces or channels between the feeder-plates throughout their course will easily hold. Said narrowing of the inlets of the channels between the feeder-plates f' f2 may be conveniently done by soldering along the inlet ends of the feeder-plates narrow metal strips 7c, as 95 shown in Fig. 5.

The feeder-plates are set about three-sixteenths of an inch apart. This distance may, however, be varied, 1f desired,

the object being to divide, by means of these4 plates, the pulp, sand, and solution discharging from the hopper into a plurality of streams of sufficient thi'nness, so that the same will How readily through the fiume and that at the same time the whole volume of each stream will as nearly as possible be in continuous contact with the surfaces of the two amalgamating-plates between which it iiows. Each of the amalgamating-plates is plated on both its top and bottom surfaces with a suitable l amalgamating-film, and the plates are removably locked in place by means of a lockingbar CZ, which is hinged to the bottom of the trough and the upper or free end of which is secured by a bar z', secured crosswise on the trough, provided with an L-notch j, in which said upper end of the bar d may be inserted.

The screen c is made of the usual wirecloth of any desired mesh.

is a spreader of the usual construction.

' It will be noted that the underlyingI idea of my invention is to obtain a large area of amalgamating-plate surface within as small a compass as possible and also to be enabled to effectively work on a large quantity of pulp and solution within a small space of time. The flume is of course to be set up so as to give to the same any convenient incline or pitch.

The described system and apparatus is adapted for use on all kinds of crushed pulp, black or magnetic sands, and gray sands. lt is especially adapted for working beach-sands and the discharging' undercurrent of hydraulic iiumes used in placer-mining.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, is-

l. Ahydraulic fiuming apparatus, comprising a hopper or receiver, means for screening and distributing' the material discharged from the same, a fiume or trough, a feeder in the trough under the hopper, said feeder compris- ;^ing a series of curved, parallel plates adapted to mechanically divide the pulp and solution discharging from the hopper into a plurality of thin streams, a tier of removable amalgamating-plates adapted to provide a plurality 5C of parallel channels, so as to allow each of thestreams of pulp and solution issuing from the feeder to pass between two plates of said tier; said plates being respectively plated with an amalgamating-lilm on both their top and bottom surfaces, and supported, one above the other, at such distance apart as to cause the f top and bottom surfaces of each stream of pulp and solution to be in continuous contact with the surfaces of the two plates between which it passes; and means for holding the amalgamating-plates in place; substantially as described.

2. A hydraulic fluming apparatus, comprising a hopper or receiver, means for screening and distributing the material discharged from the same, a fiume or trough, a feeder in the trough under thehopper, said feeder comprising a series of curved, parallel plates adapted to mechanically divide the pulp and solution discharging from the hopper into a plurality of thin streams, a tier of removable amalgamating-plates adapted to provide a plurality of parallel channels, so as to alloweach of the streams of pulp and solution issuing from the feeder to pass between the two plates of said tier; said plates being respectively plated with an amalgamating-film on both their top and bottom surfaces, and supported one above the other, at such distance apart as to cause the top and bottom surface of each stream of pulp and solution to be in continuous contact with the surfaces of the plates between which it passes; andv means for holding the amalgamatingplates in place; the mouth of the channels or spaces between the plates of said feeder being made slightly narrower, so as to prevent overfeeding and clogging of the feeder and the fiume, and the discharge ends of the feederplates slightly overlapping the receiving ends of the amalgamating-plates, substantially as described.

In witness whereof l have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE WASHINGTON WILDERMN.

Witnesses:

T. J. GEIsLER, DOROTHY GILLIAM. 

